Mayochup

Situated on the edge of the South Downs national park is Marwell Zoo and is a lovely place to visit. Unlike most zoos where they try to cram in as many animals and enclosures within the space they have been allocated, Marwell is expansive with animal enclosures dotted here and there. This does mean a lot of walking however, there is a mini rail that links one end of the park to the other for those who are less inclined.

Marwell doesn't have the same variety of animals if you compare it to London Zoo; no elephants for example but the ones they do have are well worth visiting. The giraffes in particular are a highlight.

Took a while to get this shot

We also managed to get a photo of the leopard which was difficult to spot. Luckily it came right to the window.

Had to be quick to take this one

Right at the start, or at the end, of the zoo is the penguin enclosure. Marwell put on a public feeding spectacle three times per day on set time schedule and we managed to catch the last performance.

Penguin feeding time

Our little one is full of surprises and sees the funny side of doing a naughty deed!

Out of the blue, my brother-in-law proposed to his long term girlfriend and to celebrate, we were invited to a pub outing and dinner at The White Horse in Harpenden.

The pub is situated on the edge of Harpenden next to idyllic houses and greens and fits in nicely in the area. The garden area is extensive and well looked after. The inside blends modern with rustic giving it a homely feel so it suits all seasons. As it was a warm evening with a bright blue sky, we opted to eat outside.

So after the chinking of the champagne glasses filled with prosecco, it was time to order dinner. The weather put paid to the availability of the menu, not because it was spoiled, but due to the pub being extremely busy over that weekend.

We both opted for the pork roast with crackling and all the trimmings. As you can see, the portion size is good and you definitely get your moneys worth.

Pork Roast with all the trimmings

My mother-in-law is a little fussy when it comes to ordering restaurant food and not all that keen on English/European food so she had Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables which isn't on the menu but the The White Horse was more than willing and capable to tailor a dish to her needs. 

Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables

Even though we managed to polish off our mains and feeling quite full, there is always room for pudding and we were enticed by the Rhubarb and Almond Pie which was amazing. The almond pie was warm and soft which complemented well with the strips of rhubarb and the dollop of clotted cream.

Almond and Rhubarb pie with clotted cream

When we were looking in Mothercare and related stores for prams, clothes and cots, we we blown away by the prices they charge for such items. For example, a very helpful sales assistant was showing us a pram which can be adjusted to cover ages from newborn to toddler and it did look very handy indeed. However, and this is a biggie, the price they were charging was around £700. This wasn’t a top of the range model nor was it the cheapest one but £700 is totally ridiculous. We needed a pram and the solution came from Shpock. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a free ads app where people buy and sell all manner of things and you can filter results by product, category and distance. We got a barely used Mamas & Papas interchangeable pram for £85 which brand new would be ten times the price. This also came with a car seat.

Our pram we got for £85

As for clothes, we are in a fortunate position to receive so many hand me downs that we are covered until Tamara is a year old. Not to mention all the gifts too. There is little point in buying designer clothes for babies and toddlers as they will be messed up in no time at all nor will they appreciate a ‘label’ on them. In fact, designer clothes as a whole is the easiest way to throw away your money as you are paying for the advertising and the brand rather than the quality of the clothing. Asda’s George, TX Maxx and Primani are just as good.

Baby clothes are so tiny!

For every day items, nappies are cheapest on amazon and use kitchen roll to put under the baby instead of the disposable baby mats. You get far more sheets of kitchen roll and it's cheaper too. Much cheaper. Use cotton wool to clean the baby and use non-branded sterilising tablets. They're mere pence in the supermarkets.

We predict 2018 will foresee a sharp decline in the amount of restaurants we will visit as, in February, we will have a baby girl.


So to compensate, we will expand the blog to parenting as we are entering this world for the first time. Please join us on our journey and we look forward to posting in the new year.

Happy New Year to you all!

Back in September we took a long weekend to Asturias, the northern most county in Spain and based ourselves in Gijon using Airbnb. This was by far the cheapest option as the hotels were at least double.

Packed into the four days, we also visited Oviedo, Cangas de Onis and Ribadesella. Transport links are excellent and very good value for money so there is really no need to hire a car.

Gijon is a small seaside town full of little boutique shops and breathtaking views out from the beachfront. The pace of life is very slow and you will definitely feel relaxed.

Gijon square

Another angle of Gijon square

The Gijon beach with great views

The next day we went to Oviedo which is just like any other major city. It has the usual array of shops and layout. Altogether, it was nothing spectacular apart from the architecture and the Cathedral.

Oviedo architecture

Streets of Oviedo

Oviedo Cathedral

Day three we went to Ribadesella which is a small town on the Asturas shoreline and it's a very pretty town indeed. It's very nice to take a leisurely walk through and take in the sights. We also visited a cave however, we were not allowed to take photographs so we can't show you them on here. Shame really. 

There's plenty of places to eat but don't go for this one!

This restaurant, Casa Gaspar, offers sub standard greasy food and to top it off, we had a very stroppy waitor who clearly wanted us to leave as we were approaching siesta time.

Coloured stairs found in Ribadesella

The sleepy town of Ribadesella

Views from our walk

A lake in the valleys offered a welcome break

We devoted a whole day to go round The Colosseum, which is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, and the nearby Palatine Hill which has been around for nearly 2000 years. The Colosseum took 8 years to build, started in 72AD under emperor Vespasian and finished off under Titus. Amendments were made under Domitian but we can safely say it was opened for the public in 80AD.

Outside the Colosseum

Close up of the Colosseum walls

To skip the enormous queues, we decided to join a guide who offered fascinating insights in what happened in The Colosseum at the time which we would not have gained if we went round on our own. The guide group also used the fast track queue system so the day was not entirely wasted.

Once inside The Colosseum, you'll be amazed by its size which at the time, could hold 50,000 people. That's 50,000 people watching barbaric gladiatorial activities which would not be accepted now in our society. How times change huh?

Part of the flooring had to be reconstructed to accommodate tourism but you can see that it has a lower ground where they kept the slaves, gladiators and animals for forthcoming entertainment.

Part of the lower ground revealed

After the tour of The Colosseum, we then proceeded to Palatine Hill which is one of the seven hills Rome was built on. Our guide explained that the reason for the seven hills was that the lower ground was too swampy to build on however, in time, the Romans drained and expanded. The Palatine Hill is the only one preserved and is now a major tourist spot. As you can see, not a lot is fully preserved due to earthquakes and general erosion however, what remains is magnificent.

View from Palatine Hill

An old copper door which has turned green through time

Some of the columns have remained

The tour took around 3-4 hours and it did not feel rushed. The guide was good and told you all you needed to know although she did get annoyed at one American who was filming her. Quite right too. You don't need to pre-book as once you get there you are inundated with tour offers as well as sellers offering selfie sticks and useless toys.

This definitely should be on your 'to-do' list when in Rome.